Mary Beard: In Praise of Pineapples (TLS)
Three things for me stand out from the Fitzwilliam show, after just a quick visit this week. First: there are some wonderful "historical recreations" of food displays, silver, crockery and all by Ivan Day. My favourite was his sugar banquet. I have only just twigged that "banquet" was originally just the last course of what we would now call a "banquet" - and it was basically a sugar extravaganza, consisting of anything you can make or fake out of sugar, from bacon and eggs to (in this case) a miniature banqueting house based on Melford Hall.
Mary Beard: What's your worst howler? (TLS)
It was a classic undergraduate howler. But how does it happen. I can't answer that for sure. But one colleague did once wisely say to me that in writing books you make many more errors in what you know than in what you don't know. When you don't know it, you always look it up. When you do think you know it, you are liable to be the victim of all kinds of misprisions.
David Edelstein: In Rian Johnson's Knives Out, Rich White Bigots Get Their Comeuppance (Vulture)
The Cuban actress Ana de Armas has a beautiful, clear face that keeps you in suspense - you don't want it to be clouded by disillusionment. My favorite moment in the film is a throwaway: Monsieur Blanc with headphones, eyes closed, singing along to … What the hell? Is that Sondheim's "Losing My Mind," from Follies? If I didn't know better, I'd think Johnson was poking fun at Adam Driver's risible "Being Alive" epiphany in Marriage Story. It also suggests a bunch of teenagers at an acting camp - the best level on which to appreciate Knives Out.
Godiva, Countess of Mercia (died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English Godgifu, was an English noblewoman who, according to a legend dating at least to the 13th century, rode naked - covered only in her long hair - through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, imposed on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.
Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had nine children, one son was Aelfgar.
Godiva's name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey, though the spelling varies. The Old English name Godgifu or Godgyfu meant "gift of God"; Godiva was the Latinised form. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name.
Source
Randall was first, and correct, with:
Lady Godiva
Cal in Vermont wrote:
Lady Godiva, who also makes good chocolate.
Mark. said:
Lady Godiva.
Alan J answered:
Lady Godiva.
Dave replied:
Lady Godiva. A 900 year old legend has it that Lady Godiva rode a horse through the town of Coventry in the nude to protest a tax imposed by her husband, the Earl of Mercia. According to one version of the tale, the Earl jokingly told his wife that he would only reduce the tax if she rode naked through the town.
zorch responded:
Lady Godiva, who was a real conniver.
mj wrote:
The woman who made us all think differently
About riding bareback. Lady Godiva. And the eponymous chocolates aren't
bad, either.
Mac Mac said:
Lady Godiva
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
Lady Godiva
Barbara, of Peppy Tech fame replied:
The answer is Lady Godiva. Definitely had to look that one up!
I remembered that there was a popular song by that name by Peter and Gordon. It was released in 1966. Seemed a bit racy at the time to my mid-adolescent ears!
Here is a remastered version on YouTube.
Billy in Cypress U$A said:
Lady, mother of Expen$ive Chocolate$.
Deborah wrote:
So at first I thought this was a reference to a series of books by Bernard Cornwall, but no, your question's answer is Lady Godiva.
Cold and dry, for the moment. An atmospheric river is moving in for the weekend and perhaps beyond. Good thing I don't have to shop or drive.
Joe S answeredd:
I believe that was Black Betty and somebody wrote a song about her. Or maybe it was
Godiva and Black Betty was her mother. Whatever.
Kevin K. in Washington, DC, responded:
Lady Godiva.
Stephen F took the day off.
Kenn B took the day off.
Rosemary in Columbus took the day off.
Micki took the day off.
Roy, the Never Trumper in Tyler, TX took the day off.
John I from Hawai`i took the day off.
Daniel in The City took the day off.
Michelle in AZ took the day off.
DJ Useo took the day off.
Jon L took the day off.
Harry M. took the day off.
Ed K took the day off.
David of Moon Valley took the day off.
Dave in Tucson took the day off.
Leo in Boise took the day off.
George M. took the day off.
- pgw @ nor cal. took the day off.
Paul of Seattle took the day off.
Saskplanner took the day off.
Gary took the day off.
Doug in Albuquerque took the day off.
Peter W took the day off.
MarilynofTC took the day off.
Brian S. took the day off.
Steve in Wonderful Sacramento, CA, took the day off.
Gateway Mike took the day off.
Gene took the day off.
Tony K. took the day off.
Noel S. took the day off.
James of Alhambra took the day off.
BttbBob has returned to semi-retired status.
~~~~~
Info: "NC/DC superghouls Bat Fangs pick up where Roky & the Aliens blasted off - cranking acid-soaked 80s hard rock for the living and the dead. Making heady heavy music for third eyes and stiff upper lips, Betsy Wright (Ex Hex) shreds and howls over Laura King's (Flesh Wounds / Speed Stick) deep-thunder drums. Let the Bat Fangs sink in!"
Connor Henricksen (fan) wrote, "It feels like the lovechild of Heart and Scorpions. A great revival of 1980s hard rock. Favorite track: Fangs Out."
Price: $1 (USD) for song; $7 (USD) for nine-track album
If you are OK with paying for it, you can use PAYPAL or CREDIT CARD.
• When Sarah Silverman was three years old, her father taught her some dirty words, and then he told her to say them to his friends. She and the dirty words got a big laugh. As a grown-up stand-up comedian, Ms. Silverman says, "I realize now the laugh was pure shock value, but it felt really good, and I've been chasing it ever since."
• When Chris Rock was still early in his career as a stand-up comedian, his father asked him how good he was. Chris replied, "I'm one of the best in the country." His father knew him well, and he knew that Chris was not lying.
Food
• As a struggling, impoverished comedian early in his career, Jackie Gleason and some comedian friends found ways to survive. One thing that they would do was to go to a café and order a meal that one of them paid for. Whoever paid for the meal got the entrée. The others ate the potato, the salad, and the dessert, if there was one. They also went to the Automat, got hot water for free, then added packets of ketchup, Tabasco sauce, A-1 steak sauce, and salt and pepper to create something that resembled tomato soup. In addition, they sometimes ate the rolls or bread that a diner left behind. Another trick was to sleep through breakfast. When you're sleeping, you're not hungry. Even later, during his first marriage, things were bad. One February day in 1937, Mr. Gleason got hold of several brochures advertising a one-cent sale. As an advertising gimmick, each brochure had a penny glued to it. Mr. Gleason tore off all the pennies so that he and his wife could buy sandwiches.
• Once in a while, William M. Gaines, publisher of MAD magazine, would invite all the artists and writers to a dinner in a fancy restaurant. (This was a very good idea, as it allowed people - many of them freelancers who just stopped by once in a while to drop off material - to get to know each other. Because the MAD magazine employees were so numerous, they would ask the waiters if they could push some of the tables together. Once given permission, they would quickly form a circle of tables around the waiters, leaving no exit.
• Early in her career - basically before she had a career and while she was still a housewife - Phyllis Diller did a show at the Alameda Naval Air Station, where she was a hit and for which her pay was a 30-pound live turkey. She left it tied outside her apartment that night, and the next morning a couple who lived near her made her an offer: "We're farm people, so we'll kill it and share it with you." Ms. Diller accepted the offer, and each family got 15 pounds of turkey.
• Who was the first comedian to throw a pie in a silent-movie comedy? Probably it was Mabel Normand. In 1913, some of Mack Sennett's comedians, including Mabel and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, were making a movie, but none of their gags seemed to work. Bored, Mabel saw a pie. Mr. Sennett's comedians, including Mabel, played many practical jokes, and she launched the pie at Fatty Arbuckle, scoring a direct hit and many laughs.
• When comedian Steve Allen was a teenager, he ran away from home. Very quickly, he began to steal, to beg, and to eat garbage. Mr. Allen writes about finding a discarded can of pork and beans along a road. The can contained several ants and a few beans, but Mr. Allen shook the ants out of the can and enjoyed eating what was left of the beans.
• Tommy Morgan was a Scottish comedian. While staying in a Belfast hotel and hosting some friends in the hotel restaurant, Mr. Morgan was treated like the celebrity he was, and a waiter asked, "Will you be having a bit of partridge, Mr. Morgan?" Mr. Morgan replied, "A bit! What do you mean - a bit! Bring us a whole one each."
Still cold (for these parts) & rainy - over 2½ inches, so far.
Tonight, Saturday:
CBS begins the night with the chestnut 'Robbie The Reindeer: Hooves Of Fire', followed by 'Robbie The Reindeer: Legend Of The Lost Tribe', then 'The Story Of Santa Claus', followed by '48 Hours'.
NBC fills the night with the movie 'It's A Wonderful Life'.
'SNL' is a RERUN with David Harbour hosting, music by Camila Cabello.
ABC fills the night with LIVE'College Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe a 'Nightline'.
The CW offers lots of '2½ Men'.
Faux fills the night with LIVE'College Football', then pads the left coast with local crap.
MY recycles an old 'Major Crimes', followed by another old 'Major Crimes'.
A&E has 'Live PD', followed by a FRESH'Live PD: Rewind', then a FRESH'Live PD'.
AMC offers the movie 'Elf', followed by the movie 'Elf', again.
BBC -
[6:00AM] PLANET EARTH: FROZEN PLANET - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-The Ends of the Earth
[7:00AM] PLANET EARTH: FROZEN PLANET - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Autumn
[8:00AM] PLANET EARTH: FROZEN PLANET - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5-Winter
[9:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE HUNT - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2-In The Grip of Seasons - Arctic
[10:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE HUNT - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2-In The Grip of Seasons - Arctic
[11:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE BLUE PLANET - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Frozen Seas
[12:00PM] WILD ALASKA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3-Winter
[1:00PM] PLANET EARTH: YELLOWSTONE - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Winter
[2:00PM] PLANET EARTH: ENCHANTED KINGDOM - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Planet Earth: Enchanted Kingdom
[4:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Kalahari
[5:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2-Savannah
[6:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3-Congo
[7:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Cape
[8:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5-Sahara
[9:00PM] PLANET EARTH: BLUE PLANET II - SEASON 2 - EPISODE 4-Blue Planet Now: Hammerheads and Humpbacks
[10:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Kalahari
[11:00PM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2-Savannah
[12:00AM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3-Congo
[1:00AM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4-Cape
[2:00AM] PLANET EARTH: AFRICA - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5-Sahara
[3:00AM] PLANET EARTH: ENCHANTED KINGDOM - SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1-Planet Earth: Enchanted Kingdom
[5:00AM] PLANET EARTH: BLUE PLANET II - SEASON 2 - EPISODE 4-Blue Planet Now: Hammerheads and Humpbacks (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has the movie 'Pretty Woman', followed by the movie 'Pretty Woman', again.
Comedy Central has the movie 'The Wedding Singer', followed by the movie '50 First Dates', then the movie '50 First Dates', again.
FX has the movie 'Logan', followed by the movie 'X-Men: Apocalypse'.
History has 'Ancient Aliens', followed by the FRESH'Ancient Aliens: Declassified'.
IFC -
[6:00A] Batman - The Joke's on Catwoman
[6:33A] Batman - Louie's Lethal Lilac Time
[7:06A] Batman - Nora Clavicle & the Ladies' Crime Club
[7:39A] Batman - Penguin's Clean Sweep
[8:12A] Batman - The Great Escape
[8:45A] The Three Stooges - Heavenly Daze
[9:00A] Stan Against Evil - Hell Is What You Make It
[9:30A] Minority Report
[12:30P] The Shining
[3:45P] Final Destination
[6:00P] Final Destination 2
[8:00P] Final Destination 3
[10:00P] The Final Destination
[12:00A] X-Men 2
[2:45A] Minority Report
[5:45A] Stan Against Evil - The Hex Files (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:15am] The Andy Griffith Show
[6:50am] The Andy Griffith Show
[7:25am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[8:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[9:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:00am] The Andy Griffith Show
[10:30am] The Andy Griffith Show
[11:00am] M*A*S*H
[11:30am] M*A*S*H
[12:00pm] M*A*S*H
[12:30pm] M*A*S*H
[1:00pm] M*A*S*H
[1:30pm] M*A*S*H
[2:00pm] M*A*S*H
[2:30pm] M*A*S*H
[3:00pm] M*A*S*H
[3:30pm] M*A*S*H
[4:00pm] M*A*S*H
[4:30pm] M*A*S*H
[5:00pm] M*A*S*H
[5:30pm] M*A*S*H
[6:00pm] M*A*S*H
[6:30pm] M*A*S*H
[7:00pm] M*A*S*H
[7:30pm] M*A*S*H
[8:00pm] The Outlaw Josey Wales
[11:00pm] Pale Rider
[1:30am] The Outlaw Josey Wales
[4:30am] M*A*S*H
[5:00am] M*A*S*H
[5:30am] M*A*S*H (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Seven', followed by the movie 'xXx: Return Of Xander Cage'.
While you were shopping, Iain Armitage, star of CBS' Young Sheldon and HBO's Big Little Lies, was out protesting for climate change. The young actor joined Jane Fonda in her now weekly marches in Washington D.C. calling for Congress to act.
A video on "Fire Drill Fridays," the official Twitter account of the weekly protests, showcased Fonda marching alongside Armitage on Friday, carrying a banner that read, "We Demand a Green New Deal."
Armitage also shared a photo on his own Twitter account, showcasing him, Fonda, and other activists standing in front of the U.S. Capitol building. "Here we are! @Janefonda @FireDrillFriday," he wrote as a caption. Fonda and Armitage worked together on the 2017 movie Our Souls at Night, in which he played her grandson, Jamie. Fonda's real-life grandchildren, Malcolm and Viva, also joined the march on Friday.
Armitage wasn't the only buzzy name taking to the streets on Friday. Comedian Paul Scheer (Veep, The Good Place) also joined Fonda, adding him to the growing list of celebrities who've been arrested as part of the "Fire Drill Fridays." Scheer was reportedly one of 38 total people arrested on Friday. He joins the likes of his wife, June Diane Raphel, Fonda's onscreen daughter on Grace and Frankie, as well as Marg Helgenberger, Diane Lane, Piper Perabo, Sam Waterston, Ted Danson, and Catherine Keener.
Fonda avoided being taken into custody for the fourth week in a row. Despite being told that the Attorney General's office won't prosecute her case (she's already been arrested four times for acts of civil disobedience), Fonda has chosen not to get arrested again until Dec. 20 in order to avoid jail time that would prevent her from continuing to lead the demonstrations.
Sia stunned shoppers when she whipped out her bank card and paid for their groceries at Walmart.
The Chandelier singer - who is known for hiding her face behind elaborate hairstyles - dressed down in a casual coat as she went undercover at the store in Palm Springs, California on Wednesday.
According to local news station KESQ, the pop star did not announce who she was, but claimed that she was named Cici and explained her generosity by saying that she had won the lottery.
The singer, who wore her hair casually pulled back, calmly visited cash registers and paid for people's items.
The 43-year-old was also spotted paying for other people's purchases at a nearby TJ Maxx, according to KESQ.
DC Comics faced a backlash on Twitter after news reports that it had apparently deleted Batman artwork from its Instagram account in response to a wave of complaints on Chinese social media.
The controversy began Thursday, when DC Comics' Instagram account posted artwork from Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child an upcoming DC Black Label comic written by the legendary scribe Frank Miller. The image showed a masked Batman hurling a Molotov cocktail as well as the words "the future is young" in the background, and it was shared by DC's various Twitter accounts and Instagram page.
The image quickly began to circulate on Chinese social media site Weibo and the messaging app WeChat, with many suggesting the image was a reference to the ongoing political protests in Hong Kong, which has seen scores of masked people take to the streets and the prominent use of Molotovs, and therefore DC's support for the protestors.
Since the image was posted, Weibo and WeChat has seen a wave of negative comments about the art and there have been calls for a boycott of DC. One Weibo user wrote, "If DC really wants China, they wouldn't have done this."
The removal of the image, and the reporting of its removal, led to DC facing a backlash in U.S. and elsewhere, particularly Hong Kong, as people on Twitter and Instagram accused the company of censorship and kowtowing to China, likening DC's capitulation to recent China-related controversies faced by Hollywood studios and the NBA.
Without offering proof, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday said actor Leonardo DiCaprio had funded nonprofit groups that he claimed are partly responsible for fires in the Amazon this year.
Bolsonaro's remarks about the actor were part of a wider government campaign against environmental nonprofit groups operating in Brazil.
"DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn't he? Giving money to set the Amazon on fire," the president said to supporters in Brasilia.
DiCaprio's environmental organization Earth Alliance has pledged $5 million to help protect the Amazon after a surge in fires destroyed large parts of the rainforest in July and August.
Some members of Bolsonaro's administration argue that civil society groups and environmental laws hinder economic development in the region.
Fires in the Amazon rainforest are melting glaciers in the Andes more than 1,000 miles away, according to new research.
A study has found soot from fires in the jungles of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia has increased melting in the Andes by up to 14 per cent a year.
The process is caused by the main wind direction between August and October, when most fires occur, during which soot is blown towards the northern area of the mountain ranges where it lands as snow.
Dr Newton de Magalhaes Neto, the study's lead author, explained there is "the potential to increase glacier melting as snow that is darkened by black carbon or dust particles [that] reflect less light".
A separate study by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2016 found some areas covered by glaciers in the Andes have nearly halved since the 1970s.
Elizabeth I, one of England's best-loved monarchs, has been revealed to be the translator behind an English version of an ancient text by Tacitus who described the high politics, treachery and debauchery of the Roman elite.
A 16th Century translation of the first book of Tacitus's Annals - written in elegant italic hand on ruled paper - has been shown to be Elizabeth's after an analysis of handwriting, her style of writing and the type of paper used.
"The manuscript translation of Tacitus Annales now preserved at Lambeth Palace Library is the work of Elizabeth I," John-Mark Philo wrote in The Review of English Studies.
"Elizabeth goes to some lengths to retain the density of Tacitus's prose and his celebrated brevity," Philo wrote. "She follows the contours of the Latin syntax with remarkable commitment, even at the risk of obscuring the sense in English."
Tacitus, a historian of the Roman Empire, casts Tiberius and Nero as tyrants and relates the debauchery and corruption of the empire's rulers.
More than 2,000 years ago, a young Armenian woman found herself at the forefront of a battle. Now, her newly unearthed remains are allowing archaeologists a window into how ancient societies lived and died on the battlefield.
Researchers excavated the poorly preserved remains in 2017 and found the woman buried on her side with flexed arms and legs and her head oriented to the northwest. Her skeleton was "fragmented and incomplete," with cracks and fractures occurring on her bones in the thousands of years since her burial. An analysis of her dental wear, cranial sutures, and other indicators of trauma allowed for an understanding of the type of injuries she suffered just before her death.
A metal arrowhead was found buried in her femur likely shot by a bow, strongly suggesting that the woman was injured in some type of combat. Healing around the site of the arrowhead indicates that she lived for some time with the injury before dying, possibly from additional sword or hatchet blows to the pelvic bone, femur, and tibia in a "rich array of traumatic lesions."
It was determined that the woman died aged between 20 and 29. Radiocarbon dating of the artifacts located in and around her grave indicate that she was likely a woman of stature.
During her time, the Kingdom of Urarti (Urartu), or Bianili, was an "uncommon developed culture" flourishing in the Armenian Highland from the 9th century BCE to 585 BE. Strategically located between Europe and Asia, it is likely that the society had contacts with major empires of the ancient world. Defensive architecture suggests that the city likely experienced warfare and fear of assault. As soon as they passed eight or 10, boys rode on horseback and hunted deer, buffalo, and mountain goats in much the same way that they used for defensive purposes.
Last year we thought we'd hit peak wellness guru when a proponent of the Paleo diet told hundreds of thousands of followers that staring into the Sun is one of the "best forms of free medicine" rather than something that could make you go blind, and Instagram influencers were advocating the "breatharian" diet.
But we were wrong. Peak wellness culture - as a new viral Instagram post has informed us - is butt-chugging sunlight in order to gain energy.
An Instagrammer who goes by the name Metaphysicalmeagan, and describes herself as an ascension wayshower, mermaid mystic, healer, teacher, and reverse aging adept caused a stir on the Internet when she uploaded a post of herself stretching naked in the sunlight in a pose reminiscent of a particularly stressful gynecological exam that took place on some sort of nature trail.
Apparently she was practicing the ancient art of "perineum sunning".
On a list of extraordinary claims that require extraordinary evidence "the butthole absorbs creativity from the Sun" is up there with the Indian army claiming to find evidence of the yeti.
The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of November 27, 2019:
1. Elton John; $2,935,188; $130.54.
2. Sandy & Junior; $2,260,403; $54.38.
3. Phil Collins; $2,145,965; $144.69.
4. Guns N' Roses; $2,003,111; $127.13.
5. Muse; $1,921,982; $85.11.
6. Post Malone; $1,913,809; $116.49.
7. Ariana Grande; $1,869,662; $93.54.
8. Jonas Brothers; $1,707,481; $105.02.
9. Cher; $1,485,624; $127.42.
10. Eric Church; $1,471,468; $85.74.
11. John Mayer; $1,427,545; $95.41.
12. Tool; $1,355,902; $101.17.
13. Iron Maiden; $1,302,161; $63.86.
14. Michael Bublé; $1,297,724; $111.91.
15. Shawn Mendes; $1,282,430; $80.65.
16. Little Mix; $1,274,903; $58.85.
17. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band; $1,250,039; $117.47.
18. Zac Brown Band; $1,241,128; $60.24.
19. Backstreet Boys; $1,234,347; $98.73.
20. Florida Georgia Line; $1,219,752; $68.38.
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